Poll: Hickenlooper has lead over challengers

DENVER — Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper holds a comfortable lead over his potential Republican challengers, and 52 percent of Colorado voters approve of his job performance, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The Quinnipiac University Poll found that voters were split 45 percent to 45...

DENVER — Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper holds a comfortable lead over his potential Republican challengers, and 52 percent of Colorado voters approve of his job performance, according to a poll released Wednesday.

+ captionColo. Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks to members of the media during a news conference at which he discussed the bipartisan Safe2Tell Act, a measure to fund and run a successful school danger hotline, at the Capitol, in Denver, Tuesday Jan. 7, 2014. Safe2Tell was established after the Columbine high school massacre to give K-12 students an anonymous hotline to report school safety problems to authorities - including planned school shootings, bullying, and planned suicides. Behind Hickenlooper are House Speaker Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, far left, and Senate Minority Leader Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

The Quinnipiac University Poll found that voters were split 45 percent to 45 percent on whether the governor deserves re-election but preferred him by margins of six points or higher against the Republicans vying for the chance to face him in November.

Voters gave Hickenlooper high marks on leadership and his handling of the economy. They disagreed with his stance on guns and the death penalty. Hickenlooper suspended the death sentence of an inmate due to be executed last year.

By a 52-43 margin, voters said they disapproved of a gun control package that Hickenlooper signed last year. They overwhelmingly backed universal background checks by an 86-13 margin and more narrowly supported a ban on high-capacity magazines, 50-47.

Colorado voters also favored arming teachers to prevent violence in schools by a 50-45 margin.

Polls last year showed the governor's approval ratings sagging in the wake of the new gun laws but the latest survey shows him handily ahead of his rivals in head to head matchups.